Calibration mechanism of wafer carrying disc, thin film deposition equipment of wafer carrying disc and calibration method of wafer carrying disc

Abstract

The invention discloses a calibration mechanism of a wafer carrying disc, which comprises a carrying disc, a supporting piece connected to the center of the bottom of the carrying disc and a calibration assembly, a through cavity is arranged in the supporting piece along the length direction, and the calibration assembly comprises a positioning column and a displacement detection sensor unit used for detecting the positioning column; the positioning column is arranged in the through cavity in a penetrating mode, and the top of the positioning column is fixedly connected to the carrying disc. According to the calibration mechanism of the wafer carrying disc and the thin film deposition equipment and the calibration method thereof, the vertical positioning column is led out from the bottom of the wafer carrying disc, and the displacement detection sensor unit is used for carrying out displacement detection on the positioning column, so that the stroke information of the manipulator is adjusted in time according to offset data; the transferred wafer can be accurately placed in the middle of the wafer bearing surface all the time, and finally the thickness and the uniformity of thin film deposition are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wafer carrier mechanisms in semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a wafer carrier calibration mechanism and thin film deposition equipment and a calibration method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Thin film deposition equipment is widely used in semiconductor process technology. During the process, the heating plate in the reaction chamber will move vertically under the drive of the motor. For some thin film deposition processes (such as atomic layer deposition of titanium nitride and titanium), the temperature of the heating plate and the temperature inside the chamber are extremely high. When the temperature of various components of the equipment rises from room temperature to process temperature, the liner in the cavity and the cavity itself will undergo different degrees of thermal expansion, causing the horizontal position of the heating plate to shift. After the heating plate shifts, the wafer sent into the process chamber may warp due to contact with the raised platform on the outside of the heating plate, affecting the effect of thin film deposition and causing parameters such as the average film thickness and thickness uniformity to fail to meet process requirements. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a wafer carrier calibration mechanism and thin film deposition equipment and calibration method thereof, so as to solve the technical problem that the prior wafer carrier is deflected due to high temperature.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a calibration mechanism for a wafer carrier, comprising: a carrier, a support member connected to the bottom center of the carrier, and a calibration component, wherein a through cavity is provided in the support member along the length direction, and the calibration component comprises a positioning column and a displacement detection sensor unit for detecting the positioning column; the positioning column passes through the through cavity and is fixedly connected to the carrier at the top.

[0006] Wherein, the displacement detection sensor unit comprises: a first sensor and a second sensor, and the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged at a vertical angle on a vertical plane of the positioning column.

[0007] Wherein, the lower end of the positioning column extends out of the supporting member, and the first sensor and the second sensor are both located outside the positioning column.

[0008] Wherein, a wafer carrying surface is provided on the top of the carrier, and the positioning column is vertically arranged to the wafer carrying surface.

[0009] Wherein, the first sensor and the second sensor are both laser sensors.

[0010] Wherein, the positioning column is a right prism.

[0011] Wherein, the positioning column is made of aluminum nitride or aluminum.

[0012] The length of the positioning column is 0.5-1m, and the side length of the cross section of the right prism is 2-10mm.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, wherein the thin film deposition device comprises a calibration mechanism for a wafer carrier as described in any one of the above.

[0014] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer carrier calibration method, the calibration method is performed by the wafer carrier calibration mechanism as described in any one of the above, and comprises the following steps:

[0015] Perform zero-point calibration on the displacement data detected by the displacement detection sensor and the position information of the manipulator for transferring the wafer, and start the thin film deposition equipment after the zero-point calibration;

[0016] The first sensor and the second sensor collect displacement information of the positioning column at preset periodic intervals, and transmit the information to the manipulator controller;

[0017] The robot controller matches the acquired displacement information with a preset adjustment strategy, and adjusts the execution displacement of the robot so that the wafer is transferred and placed at the center position of the wafer carrying surface of the carrier.

[0018] The wafer carrier calibration mechanism and thin film deposition equipment of the present invention extend vertical positioning columns from the bottom of the wafer carrier and detect the displacement of the positioning columns through a displacement detection sensor unit, thereby timely adjusting the stroke information of the robot according to the offset data, thereby ensuring that the transferred wafer can always be accurately placed in the middle of the wafer carrying surface, ultimately improving the thickness and uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0019] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited and described in detail as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 and Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of a process chamber of a thin film deposition device according to an embodiment of the present invention from different perspectives.

[0021] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 and Figure 4It is a schematic structural diagram of different viewing angles of the calibration mechanism of the wafer carrier of an embodiment of the present invention after removing the power line and the signal line.

[0023] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 for Figure 5 The enlarged structural schematic diagram of local A is shown.

[0025] Description of reference numerals:

[0026] Thin film deposition equipment 100, process chamber assembly 1, process chamber 11, carrier 2, wafer carrying surface 20, bellows 21, signal line or power line 22, support member 23, through cavity 231, calibration assembly 4, positioning column 41, first sensor 42, second sensor 43. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships described in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0030] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be connected, detachably connected, or integrated; it can be mechanically connected or electrically connected; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0033] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms should not be understood as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0034] Thin film deposition equipment is widely used in semiconductor process technology. During the process, the heating plate in the reaction chamber will perform vertical lifting and lowering movements driven by a motor. For some thin film deposition processes (such as atomic layer deposition of titanium nitride and titanium), the temperature of the heating plate and the temperature inside the chamber are extremely high. When the temperature of various components of the equipment rises from room temperature to process temperature, the liner in the cavity and the cavity itself will undergo different degrees of thermal expansion, causing the horizontal position of the heating plate to shift. After the heating plate shifts, the wafer sent into the process chamber may warp up due to contact with the raised platform on the outside of the heating plate, affecting the effect of thin film deposition, resulting in parameters such as the average film thickness and thickness uniformity failing to meet process requirements. In order to solve the above problems, the present embodiment discloses a calibration mechanism for a wafer carrier.

[0035] See also Figures 1 to 6This embodiment discloses a wafer carrier calibration mechanism, which is applied to a semiconductor thin film deposition device, and is specifically applied to a wafer carrier mechanism in a process chamber.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the thin film deposition equipment 100 includes: a process chamber assembly 1, wherein at least one process chamber 11 is provided in the process chamber assembly 1, and the calibration mechanism of the wafer carrier is disposed in the process chamber 11 for loading wafers to complete the thin film deposition process.

[0037] It should be noted that Figure 1 and Figure 2 It is only a partial structure of the thin film deposition equipment, mainly involving the structure of the chamber part. Other units can be flexibly configured according to different thin film deposition process methods, and are not limited to this in the present embodiment.

[0038] The calibration mechanism of the wafer carrier includes: a carrier 2, a support member 23 connected to the bottom center of the carrier 2, and a calibration component 4, wherein a through cavity 231 is provided in the support member 23 along the length direction, and the calibration component 4 includes a positioning column 41 and a displacement detection sensor unit for detecting the positioning column 41; the positioning column 41 is passed through the through cavity 231, and the top is fixedly connected to the carrier 2.

[0039] The displacement detection sensor unit is used to detect the offset data of the positioning column 41 in real time. If the positioning column 41 is offset beyond the limit, the controller controls the shutdown or controls other units cooperating with it to adjust the execution parameters in real time according to the control strategy, so that the wafer can still be accurately placed in the center position of the wafer carrying surface.

[0040] The calibration mechanism of the wafer carrier of this embodiment obtains deformation or offset data of the carrier 2 by leading out a positioning column 41 at the bottom of the carrier 2 and indirectly detecting the offset of the positioning column 41, and makes corresponding adjustments according to the offset or deformation data, so that the wafer sent in can be placed at the center of the wafer bearing surface, so that the thickness and uniformity of the film deposition are better. Compared with the existing regular maintenance method, it can find problems in the first time and avoid the phenomenon of unstable wafer film deposition quality caused by the offset of the heating plate.

[0041] Please refer again Figure 3 and Figure 4 The displacement detection sensor unit includes: a first sensor 42 and a second sensor 43 , and the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are arranged at a vertical angle on a vertical plane of the positioning column 41 .

[0042] like Figure 6As shown, the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are arranged at the same height in the height direction of the positioning column 41, and the extension lines of the signal emission directions of the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are perpendicular to each other. Figure 6 The length direction of the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 in the figure is shown by the dotted line. The first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are arranged perpendicular to each other in the same plane to form a vertical coordinate system in a plane. When the positioning column 41 is not offset, the positioning column 41 and the extension lines of the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 together form a three-dimensional coordinate system. The first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are used to detect the displacement data of the positioning column 41 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. In the initial state or when the carrier 2 is in the required setting state, the positional relationship between the positioning column 41, the first sensor 42 and the third sensor 43 is a standard three-dimensional coordinate positional relationship. When other components such as the carrier 2 are thermally deformed or offset, the positioning column 41 will undergo a displacement change relative to the first sensor 42 or the second sensor 43, and this displacement change indirectly reflects the offset state of the wafer carrier mechanism.

[0043] Specifically, the lower end of the positioning column 41 extends out of the support member 23, that is, the lower end of the positioning column 41 extends out of the lower end opening of the through cavity 231. The first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are both located on the outside of the positioning column 41. The first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are used to directly detect the portion of the positioning column 41 extending out of the through cavity 231. Since the disc loading mechanism will be deformed under the influence of high temperature, and the disc loading 2 is also a heating disc, the temperature near it is higher. The positioning column 41 is led out from the bottom of the disc loading 2. On the one hand, the slight deformation of the disc loading 2 can be appropriately amplified, and at the same time, the displacement detection sensor unit can be kept away from the heat source to reduce its adverse effect on the sensor.

[0044] The top of the carrier plate 2 is provided with a wafer carrying surface 20, and the positioning column 41 is arranged perpendicular to the wafer carrying surface 20. During the initial assembly, the carrier plate 2, the displacement detection sensor unit, and the manipulator are convenient to assemble.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 are both laser sensors. Of course, in other embodiments, the first sensor 42 and the second sensor 43 can also be replaced by other sensors that have high accuracy and can withstand high temperatures.

[0046] The positioning column 41 is a right prism, such as a right triangular prism, a right quadrangular prism, etc.

[0047] In order to reduce the impact of the application environment of the thin film deposition equipment, the positioning column 41 is made of aluminum nitride or aluminum. The top of the positioning column 41 can be fixedly connected to the top center of the carrier 2 by screwing or welding. Of course, in other embodiments, the positioning column 41 can also be made of other materials that are resistant to high temperature and fluoride corrosion.

[0048] The length of the positioning column 41 is 0.5-1m, and the side length of the cross section of the right prism is 2-10mm. Of course, in other embodiments, the positioning column 41 can also adopt other sizes according to the size and parameter requirements of the process chamber.

[0049] A corrugated tube 21 is further disposed outside the support member 23 , and a signal line and / or a power line 22 is passed through the through cavity 231 , and the signal line and the power line 22 also pass through the through cavity 231 .

[0050] An embodiment of the present invention provides a thin film deposition device 100, wherein the thin film deposition device 100 includes a wafer carrier calibration mechanism as described in any one of the above.

[0051] An embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer carrier calibration method, the calibration method is performed by the wafer carrier calibration mechanism as described in any one of the above, and comprises the following steps:

[0052] Step 1: perform zero-point calibration on the displacement data detected by the displacement detection sensor and the position information of the robot for transferring the wafer, and start the thin film deposition equipment after the zero-point calibration; that is, before starting the thin film deposition equipment for thin film deposition, assemble the equipment and perform zero-point calibration on the displacement sensor unit, the positioning column and the robot, which is a transfer tool used to transfer the wafer to the process chamber 11 and place it on the carrier 2.

[0053] Step 2: The first sensor and the second sensor collect the displacement information of the positioning column at preset periodic intervals and transmit the information to the robot controller; the robot controller can accept the control instructions of the upper computer and control the robot of the lower computer to make rapid adjustments. When the carrier 2 is offset, the robot adjusts its conveying stroke according to the offset.

[0054] Step 3: The robot controller matches the acquired displacement information with the preset adjustment strategy, and adjusts the execution displacement of the robot so that the wafer is transferred and placed at the center of the wafer carrying surface of the carrier. For example, when the first sensor 42 detects that it is offset in this direction, and the second sensor 43 is not offset, the robot is adjusted to compensate for the displacement in the direction of the detection offset of the first sensor 42 according to the offset, so that the wafer can still be transferred and placed in the middle of the wafer carrying surface.

[0055] The calibration mechanism of the wafer carrier and the thin film deposition equipment thereof of the present embodiment extend vertical positioning columns from the bottom of the wafer carrier and detect the displacement of the positioning columns through a displacement detection sensor unit, thereby timely adjusting the stroke information of the robot according to the offset data, thereby ensuring that the transferred wafer can always be accurately placed in the middle of the wafer carrying surface, ultimately improving the thickness and uniformity of the thin film deposition.

[0056] The above examples are only used to further illustrate the technical content of the present invention, so that readers can understand it more easily, but they do not mean that the implementation of the present invention is limited to this. Any technical extension or re-creation made according to the present invention is protected by the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer carrier calibration mechanism, characterized in that: include: A carrier, a support member connected to the bottom center of the carrier, and a calibration component, wherein a through cavity is provided in the support member along the length direction, and the calibration component includes a positioning column and a displacement detection sensor unit for detecting the positioning column; the positioning column passes through the through cavity and is fixedly connected to the carrier at the top.

2. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The displacement detection sensor unit comprises: a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged at a vertical angle on a vertical plane of the positioning column.

3. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower end of the positioning column extends out of the supporting member, and the first sensor and the second sensor are both located outside the positioning column.

4. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: A wafer carrying surface is provided on the top of the carrier, and the positioning column is vertically arranged to the wafer carrying surface.

5. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first sensor and the second sensor are both laser sensors.

6. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The positioning column is a straight prism.

7. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The positioning column is made of aluminum nitride or aluminum.

8. The wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The length of the positioning column is 0.5-1m, and the side length of the cross section of the right prism is 2-10mm.

9. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: The thin film deposition equipment comprises a wafer carrier calibration mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A wafer carrier calibration method, the calibration method being performed by the wafer carrier calibration mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Perform zero-point calibration on the displacement data detected by the displacement detection sensor and the position information of the manipulator for transferring the wafer, and start the thin film deposition equipment after the zero-point calibration; The first sensor and the second sensor collect displacement information of the positioning column at preset periodic intervals, and transmit the information to the manipulator controller; The robot controller matches the acquired displacement information with a preset adjustment strategy, and adjusts the execution displacement of the robot so that the wafer is transferred and placed at the center position of the wafer carrying surface of the carrier.

Images